A Month's Leave, A Life's Change
by sueKay-04
Summary: SPOILERS for season nine. Adventure, tradgedy, angst and SJ ship.


Disclaimer - Not mine...but I reserve the right to own a jack clone

Synopsis - set in season nine...Jack goes on a diplomatic mission...with drastic consequences.

* * *

"Thank god!" Sam sighed in relief as the Stargate's event horizon shimmered shut.

"What?"

"We've got rid of Cameron for a whole month!"

"You really don't like the guy do you." Daniel said.

"I have no time for people who are impatient."

"Double standards." Daniel whispered.

"What? I'm a patient person with most things…I don't fly off the handle at the tiniest little thing!"

Daniel and Sam filed out of the control room. Teal'c, who had been heading to the control room saw his team members and quickly stepped into pace with them.

"Why the hell is the General late?" Sam huffed.

"Patient Person." Daniel mouthed slyly to Teal'c who grinned widely.

Sam caught a hint of the silent conversation and stormed on ahead.

"How very astute of you Daniel Jackson."

"Why thank you brother Teal'c!"

"What was so very astute!" Sam spat from the distance, causing Daniel to have a small spurt of giggles.

Sam let out a loud 'grr' before walking on out of sight.

"I believe Colonel Carter is anxious to see O'Neill."

"Oh yeah…she hasn't seen him in what…oh…a week…she'll be getting 'withdrawal symptoms' from him."

"You do not like the close bond between them?"

"No no…the friendship bond's fine…but the emotional undercurrents are unprofessional and frankly a bit embarrassing at times."

"How so?"

"Well…I don't know…the fact that we've been accused of covering for 'the lovers' several times."

"I see." Teal'c's slightly snippy comment brought the conversation to a swift end.

"Danny! T man!" a familiar voice rang through the corridor.

Daniel and Teal'c looked up to see Jack striding confidently towards them. Sam was walking slightly behind him, her face flushed red and a big smile played happily over her features.

"Jack!" Daniel smiled. Genuinely happy to see his best friend, walked up to him, enveloping him in a hug. "Good to see ya…how's things at the Pentagon?"

"Surprisingly good!" Jack beamed. "So you took my advice and shaved I see."

"Yeah…" Daniel's smile waned.

"Daniel Jackson could not…'pull' while he had his facial hair." Teal'c smirked.

"Why thank you brother Teal'c."

Jack sensed Daniel's unease over talking about his face-fluff, so changed the subject.

"So where's Cameron and Vala?"

"Vala's back on the world she ruled as a Goa'uld…they've accepted her as Vala…not as the Goa'uld that once inhabited her…Cameron's visiting some former Orri Priors…he's a little too friendly with one of the Ancients that hangs about there from time to time if you ask me."

"Well I think it's sweet that they like each other…he doesn't care that she's non corporeal." Sam said in Cameron's defence.

"I thought you didn't like Cameron."

"I do…he just annoys me a lot sometimes."

Sam and Daniel continued to bicker while Jack leaned over to Teal'c.

"Non corporeal?"

"Immaterial."

"Huh?"

"I believe you used the term 'glowing jellyfish'."

"Ah! I follow you."

"Double standards Sam…It's called double standards!"

"Oh! And what about your list of alien conquests…isn't that double standards?"

From the set of Teal'c shoulders and eyebrows, Jack could tell the Jaffa was anything but amused by Sam and Daniel's argument.

"Are they like this often?"

"Their immature behaviour has been incessant."

"We are not being immature!" Sam and Daniel chorused, with Sam hastily adding 'sir' to the end.

"Of course we aren't!" Jack grinned cheekily at them, forcing them into silence. "But we are going to the briefing room, so come along children!"

* * *

"Moron." Sam muttered under breath while drawing Daniel 'daggers'.

"General's pet." He mouthed back to her mockingly.

"Kids kids kids! Honestly…Four months without my supervision and your intellect goes out the nearest even horizon!"

Sam and Daniel were silent.

"Now can we get down to the reason you dragged me here from my plush vibrating armchair and two thousand dollar entertainment system in my Pentagon Office?"

"I see our tax-payers' money is going to good use." Daniel said snippily.

"I paid for it myself…seeing as I'm never home I thought I'd splash out and bring a touch of home to the Pentagon."

Teal'c cut through the small talk with one grunt. Presently, everyone was quite, not wanting to irritate the irate Jaffa anymore.

"Colonel Carter requested your presence for negotiations with a race know as the Rhelm'scha."

"The real…what? Negotiations? Carter…I'm not _that_ desperate to go offworld!"

"The have a piece of Ancient technology…It'd do a lot for interplanetary relations if we were able to help them operate it…We're going to gate through…get it to work…show them how to screen their population for the ancients gene…then hopefully sign a treaty!"

"What are they wanting apart from that?"

"The Rhelm'scha aren't as advanced as us technologically. Their weapons and communications devices are on a level with the early nineties…as you know we've made more advanced in the past five years than we did in the decades beforehand, so they're probably on that same curve. But their medical technology is very different. Some areas are very advanced…They claim to have a cure for cancer."

Jack was suddenly paying complete attention. "You're serious?"

"They also claim to have perfected procedures for reversing the effects of arthritis and spondylosis."

"Wow!" Jack was grinning. A moment later, his normal, calm demeanour returned. "You sure it's genuine?"

"Yes sir."

"…But what do they want?"

"As advanced as their medical technology is…they've got a severe problem that they cannot find a treatment for…infertility."

"Isn't it quite common for that to happen to human cultures?" Jack quiried. "We've seen infertility prevalent in many transplanted cultures, and the Tauri infertility rate is going up."

"But this is different…Unlike the rest of the human cultures suffering from the problem…they didn't have any warning…they had no time to look into cures or treatments…when SG11 first visited them and told them of surrogacy and treatments like in-vitro fertilisation…they were _very_ enthusiastic."

"Well…we'll tell them what we know…If everything else checks out that is…Right…briefing's over…Where's Hank?"

Sam's quizzical expression betrayed the fact she didn't have a clue where her CO was. "I ehm…"

"He's picking up his granddaughter from school…he should be back soon." Daniel rescued her from her embarrassment.

Jack grinned, before his smile turned into a smirk. "Bit of a lapse there Carter…You always knew _exactly_ where I was when I was Base Commander."

Sam was now blushing furiously. "Sorry sir."

"Not a problem…honest." He smiled back and for the briefest of seconds, their eyes locked.

"Right! I'm getting dinner!" Daniel said, destroying the moment. "We're all on down-time…How about a trip to O'Malleys?"

"That sounds most pleasing Daniel Jackson." Teal'c grin and raised eyebrow voiced his complete approval.

"Mmm…David O'Malley's speciality sirloin…I could go for that! Let's go!"

* * *

Well...reviews would be nice:D

Suz


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